1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an optical device and a projector having a plurality of optical modulator units to modulate a plurality of color lights on a color-by-color basis according to image information and a plurality of light flux incident surfaces on which the optical modulator units are arranged oppositely, to combine together and emit the color lights modulated by the optical modulator units.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 10 is a schematic showing a related art optical device. As shown in FIG. 10, the optical device 10 is provided with an optical modulator unit having a liquid-crystal display (liquid-crystal panel unit) 12 and an exit polarizer plate 14.
The liquid-crystal display 12 has a liquid-crystal panel 16 for image formation having two glass substrates 16A, 16B opposed through a liquid crystal layer (not shown), and a metal liquid-crystal panel holding frame 18 having two frames 18A, 18B accommodating and holding the liquid-crystal panel 16, and attached in a light-incident surface of a color-combining prism 20 as a color-combining optical unit through metal pins 22. The exit polarizer plate 14 is attached to the light-incident surface of the color-combining prism 20.
In FIG. 10, references 24 and 26 represent dustproof glasses while 28 denotes a wiring flexible board.
A related art method, relevant to such an optical device structure, mounts a liquid-crystal panel on a prism unit through a cylindrical spacer having good heat conductivity, as disclosed in JP-A-2002-229121 (see paragraphs [0030]–[0032], FIGS. 9 and 10).
Some related art optical devices provide two exit polarizer plates between a liquid-crystal display and a color-combining prism.
In this optical device, cooling efficiency is enhanced due to the distribution of the heat generated on the exit polarizer plates in addition to cooling both the exit polarizer plates by forced convection of the air.